C. Milton Wright ends Bel Air’s UCBAC reign

Mustangs demonstrate depth and crown a pair of champions

by Billy Loverocket

C. Milton Wright ended Bel Air’s six-year stranglehold on the UCBAC Conference Wrestling Tournament title, on Saturday at Edgewood High School. Finally, a new school would pose with the trophy and be called UCBAC Conference Champions.

Wright’s performance was more solid than spectacular, highlighting their depth more than star power, as the Mustangs rolled to 49-point victory over Patterson Mill, 224-175. Those previously untouchable Bobcats finished third (158).

CMW put 12 wrestlers onto the podium, but only two as champions, No. 5 Staki Gourgoulianis (120) and No. 3 James Riveira (126). Staki dominated No. 22 Kyle Pulket (Patterson Mill) to the tune of a 12-0 blanking in the finals for his first UCBAC gold.

Riveira claimed his third crown with a 2:42 pin versus No. 13 Jeffrey Leonard (Perryville). The junior is seeking his third region title this coming weekend, with an eye towards a third 4A/3A state championship in March.

Patterson Mill and fourth-place North Harford (155 points) had the most champs in the field with three each. At 132, Brian Wheatley booked the Huskie’s first title squeezing by Wright’s Ortega, 5-4. No. 12 Connor Morton (182) and No. 15 Mason Sprinkel (285) both won their first crowns as seniors. Morton downed Bel Air’s Matt Conroy, 7-5, and Sprinkel pinned No. 21 Fola Kolawole (Joppatowne), 5:19.

North Harford saw the return of two-time state placer, No. 13 Josh Mitchell to the lineup. An out of season injury was expected to shelve the senior, but he was able to work his way back for the postseason. Mitchell won his third UCBAC honor with a first period pin of the home school’s Kyle Brown, 1:03.

No. 4 Teddy Stinson won his first championship wearing a CMW singlet a season ago. An off-season moved landed Stinson with the Hawks where he captured title No. 2, pinning former comrade Dvorak, 2:35. No. 15 Cruz Cespedes is the 106lb winner, getting by Bel Air’s No. 22 Gavin McDowell in a battle of freshman, 7-4.

Edgewood did keep two wall charts from leaving the building. Trae Hughes (160) pitched a shutout over Harford Tech’s Ryan Turney for his. No. 15 Tyreak Carey avenged an earlier loss to Tech’s Kelvin Mendez (No. 14 at 160), 3-2, at 170lbs. Carey beat No. 16 Michael Sweigert, a conference champ last year, 4-3 in the semis. The two had split matches leading up to the tournament.

Perryville’s Chase Rondone (No. 20 at 113) pulled off a commanding upset against No. 14 Trevor Lorin from Bel Air, 8-3. Lorin, a junior missed most of last season with various ailments but was a state placer and conference champ as a freshman. Rondone was second here last year.

Joppatowne’s Chris Kalambihis (No. 6), a senior, became a two-time champ when he decked Bohemia Manor’s Ian Artice (No. 21), in 45 seconds at 220. In the semis, Artice upset No.15 Nick Warner (Harford Tech), 10-8. Warner won the Battle at the Bridge tournament where Artice was just fourth.

No. 8 Gavin Lloyd (152), a junior, earned Havre de Grace’s lone trip to the top with a 4-3 win over No. 23 Cameron Pires (Fallston). Rising Sun’s Logan Garvin claimed the top nod at 138 with a 4-2 decision of Wright’s Goscinski.